Hearing Aid & Accessories supplier in Kenya

Hearing is the way we connect to people. IncusEar remains the most respected hearing aid & accessories supplier in Kenya. This has been enabled by stocking and dispensing leading world brands of hearing aids with cutting edge technology. We equally distribute state-of the-art audiological equipment. Our clientele include Government of Kenya, NGOs, public and private hospital, private clients and many more.

IncusEar also offers diagnostic hearing tests and holistic ear care within Kenya and Africa at large. We have investing and exploited the latest wireless technology in most of our hearing tests and ear care. This has enabled us to have fast and reliable services. For the first time patients are able to see their ear canal which is projected on a big screen and able to understand clearly how their respective ear canals looks like, this is facilitated by top of the range wireless otoscope which is wireless device and gives high resolution of image as well as video.

Many people wear their hearing aids only when they go out to dinner, or for certain events or occasions. But it’s important for your brain to receive a wide variety of sounds all day long. Here’s why.

 
“I only wear my hearing aids when I go out to dinner.” A new patient told me this recently, and it’s a phrase I hear too often when I meet with hearing aid users. I try to educate my patients that it is important to wear your hearing aids all day because it gives the brain a foundation of sound in all the environments you live in. The quiet environments are not silent, and the brain will become accustomed to this sound input (which it doesn’t receive when you don’t wear your hearing aids). Having this foundation of sound prepares the brain and provides a good basis to transition into more complicated sounds.

 
Helps To Hear In Noisier Environments
Being able to hear all the words in the conversation in noisier places is what people look for most from their hearing devices. By wearing your hearing devices all day, you will be rewarded with maximum benefit when you have conversations in more complicated listening settings, whether it is in a restaurant, the car, or a party full of people.

 
Use It Or Lose It
Like most things, the brain works on a “use it or lose it” basis. So if the brain is not used to hearing – and processing – certain sounds (or frequencies of sound), the ability to hear those sounds becomes increasingly diminished over time. By not wearing your hearing aids, you are denying your brain the opportunity to process those sounds, which can lead to further deterioration of your hearing.

 
Prevent Early Onset of Dementia
Research has linked untreated hearing loss with an earlier onset of dementia. When your hearing is impaired (by not wearing your hearing aids), your brain needs to work harder and use resources that are usually devoted to memory and comprehension, simply to hear. As a result, your memory and comprehension become compromised, and by the same “use it or lose it” principle described above, these abilities become weaker and weaker over time. This can result in an earlier onset of dementia － which can be prevented by wearing your hearing aids as much as possible.

 
Make It A Morning Habit
People are creatures of habit. We are not in the habit of making our ears ready for the day, except for a nice pair of earrings, as we never actually turn our natural ears off at night. Mornings can be a quiet time, and putting your devices on often gets forgotten. Establishing a routine of putting your hearing aids on at a specific time each morning (e.g. right before you brush your teeth) will help ensure that you － and your brain－will have full access to your day-to-day environment.

Courtesy of  Ana Anzola

As noted earlier in my blogs, ear canals can produce a degree of moisture which can affect hearing aid performance. Like the problem of earwax, the amount of moisture present in human ear canals can vary widely from person to person. Your activity level and climatic conditions in which hearing aids are worn are two of the more common variables affecting moisture build-up. People with high levels of physical activity who perspire easily can be more prone to moisture problems than those who lead a more sedentary life. Moreover, a moisture problem can be further aggravated by conditions of high humidity. Moisture build-up can result from either internal or external sources. Internal sources are those related to the condition of the auditory canal while the latter refers to liquids which arise from outside.

 
Moisture in hearing aids slowly corrodes the components. Then moisture makes its way onto the batteries and reduces their effectiveness. Continuing on its path of destruction, moisture travels down the hearing aid tubing where it condenses into tiny drops and eventually infiltrates the filters inside the ear hooks. During this process the hearing aid will slowly lose clarity and amplification until it finally gives up completely.

The Effects of Moisture.
While BTE-type hearing aids, if maintained properly, can outlast in-the-shell types, they tend to have the worst problem with moisture. Water vapors arising from the canal condense in the connecting tube. When these vapors reach a region outside the canal of slightly cooler temperature, condensation converts to small
droplets of water which appear as tiny bubbles in the tube. The accumulation of enough water droplets can
be sufficient to close the tube and shut down amplification.

Siemens Stay Dry kit is small and inexpensive pack that contains silica crystals. The silica crystals will absorb moisture from the hearing aid overnight. This kit helps in removing harmful moisture from hearing aids and there for prolonging hearing aid life.
Product Description.
Place your hearing aid inside to remove harmful moisture and to keep your hearing aid in the best working condition.

– Protects all types of hearing aids.
– Small and portable.
– Pellets can be dried and re-used.

INTRODUCTION

Noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss, and one of the most common occupational illnesses. Repeated exposures to loud machinery may, over an extended period of time, present serious risks to human hearing.
• A good population has already suffered irreversible hearing damage from noise; many are exposed to hazardous noise levels each day.
• The risk and harmful effects of noise on hearing are often underestimated because the damage takes place so gradually.

How to prevent hearing loss.
Excessive noise exposure damages the delicate hair cells in the inner ear, not dissimilar to the effect of age on the ear (accelerated “wear and tear”). This damage often results in permanent, sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing of the ears). Hazardous noise exposures can occur on the job, but also in common recreational activities. Hearing loss prevention thus requires diligence and sensitivity to situations where hearing can be put at risk:
• Beware of recreational sources of hazardous noise like firearms, firecrackers, power tools, music concerts, dance clubs, sporting events, motorcycles, motorboats, snowmobiles, powerboats, and “boom cars”.

• The risk for hearing loss due to exposure to noise is especially high among factory and heavy industry workers, transportation workers, military personnel, construction workers, miners, farmers, firefighters, police officers, musicians, and entertainment industry professionals.
If you have to raise your voice to shout over the noise to be heard by someone within an arm’s length away, that noise could be a serious risk to your hearing. You can prevent hearing loss by removing yourself from situations where noise is excessive or by using ear plugs to protect your ears.

WARNING SIGNS
Be alert to some of these warning signs, which could suggest that you’ve been exposed to hazardous noise:
• You hear ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears after exposure to noise.
• You notice that you can hear people talking, but you have difficulty understanding them, after exposure to noise.
• You experience “fullness” in your ears after leaving a noisy area.
Remember, even though you might have experienced these symptoms temporarily in the past, your hearing might not always “recover,” leaving you with a permanent and regrettable hearing problem.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOUR HEARING
• If you work in an at-risk occupation, check with your employer to make sure that your jobsite has an effective program to adequately protect your hearing.
• Wear hearing protection, such as earplugs or earmuffs, consistently when using loud equipment at work or at home.
• Limit exposure to noisy activities at home. Monitor your listening level and how long you are listening to personal listening devices. Encourage your children to use their headphones conservatively. Consider investing in higher quality earphones that block out background noise, to help you moderate your listening levels in noisier places. Note: being able to overhear your child’s headphones is not a good way to tell if they are listening too loud! If you can hear it, their music might be too loud, but just because you can’t hear it, that doesn’t mean the levels are ok.
• Buy quieter products (compare dB ratings and ask for low-noise products).
• Keep an “eye” on your hearing – see a hearing health professional routinely for hearing testing, or if offered through your employer, ensure you know your hearing test results and track it year-to-year.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
Be alert to risks of hazardous noise in your life. Since prevention of hearing loss is so critical, make sure that your family (especially children), friends, and colleagues are aware of the hazards of noise and how they can protect themselves. Remember: One-third of permanent hearing loss is preventable with proper hearing loss prevention strategies.

Brian J. Fligor, Sc.D., Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA